The use of glue appears to have diminished in recent years. One phenomenon, the advent of the "hasty note" pad of self adhering leaves that removably adhere through pressure contact to paper and many other surfaces, has greatly reduced the incentive to use a glue adhesive for that general purpose.
Perhaps more importantly, while glue per se is readily available in convenient-to-use glue sticks within a capped, protective dispenser casing, and other, readily dispensed liquid forms, such use is impeded by an absence of ancillary applying means, to facilitate and systematize the application of glue and other fluent adherents to the medium being glued, such as paper, card, etc.
In referring to the adhering of pre-glued envelopes, the fluent adherent used is water. At present, this is usually applied by way of a roller partially immersed in a bath of water, so that the periphery of the roller is wetted as the roller is rotated. To affix the flap of an envelope, the pre-glued flap surface is drawn across the wetted roller uppermost surface, and closure then is made. The wetting apparatus is clumsy, and liable to spillage.
The controlled application of glue in closely regulated fashion, within unmarked bounds, and on awkward areas such as the corners of sheets of paper or cardboard is difficult to achieve, and can readily lead to sticky hands and glue-contaminated surfaces that can then accumulate dirt, fluff and other undesireable detritus.
A great number of prior art handling and spreading devices exist, a sampling of which include the following listed U.S. Pat. Nos.: 807,887 Walker December 1905; 1,192,686 Rieger July 1916; 4,442,791 Adachi et al April 1984; 4,962,721 Peek October 1990; 5,012,758 Kunzler May 1991; 5,024,180 Roman June 1991; 5,078,527 Bell January 1992.
However, these prior art devices have not been adapted to meet the needs of a glue user. Also, they possess certain inherent characteristic drawbacks that make them unsuitable for some uses.